Insomniac’s Song of the Deep will be released on July 12

Posted on April 18, 2016 by John Scalzo

Insomniac Games has unveiled a new trailer for their “underwater Metroidvania,” Song of the Deep, and also announced the game will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on July 12. The new trailer dives a bit deeper into Merryn’s search for her father and the decidedly non-cuddly marine life she’ll find under the waves. The Little Mermaid this ain’t.

The developer’s Chief Creative Officer, Brian Hastings, has also penned a tie-in novelization for Song of the Deep, and it’ll be available in stores “soon.”

In addition to its digital release, Song of the Deep will receive a retail launch exclusively through GameStop. The retailer, which currently operates more than 6,900 stores, will publish the game through their GameTrust publishing label.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Weekly Warp-Up: PAX East 2016 Preparations…

Posted on April 17, 2016 by John Scalzo

No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…

The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will open its doors for PAX East 2016 in less than five days (118 hours, to be exact) and the exhibitor list is filling out nicely:

Elsewhere around Warp Zoned this week, we published a review of Ska Studios’s Salt and Sanctuary. It’s a little like Dark Souls, and if you don’t have the time to dive into Dark Souls III, it’s the next best thing.

Hit the jump to read up on more news from the week that was.

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Posted in News |

New Retail Releases: Star Fox Zero, Lichdom Battlemage, Zombie Vikings, More

Posted on April 17, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Team Star Fox flies again with this week’s release of Star Fox Zero on the Wii U. In addition to piloting an Arwing, a Landmaster Tank, and two new vehicles (the Walker and the helicopter-like Gyrowing), players will also receive a copy of Star Fox Guard, a tower defense take on the series using the Wii U GamePad.

Also available on store shelves this week is Lichdom: Battlemage, a magical first-person game for the PS4 and Xbox One. Instead of firing shotguns and flinging grenades, players will employ elemental magic to take down their enemies and save the kingdom.

Speaking of saving the kingdom, Aksys will release Langrisser Re:Incarnation Tensei, a strategy RPG, for the 3DS. Players will use their tactical knowledge to explore three different branching story paths, leading to glorious victory or traitorous treason.

Finally this week, Rising Star Games will release Zombie Vikings, a multiplayer brawler, for the PS4.

We’ll be back throughout the week with a look at the newest additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Wii U eShop.

Posted in 3DS, News, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Rumor: The Pokemon Company is holding a “secret auction” for the rights to a live-action movie

Posted on April 16, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Hold on to your Pokeballs, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, The Pokemon Company is currently holding a “top-secret auction” for the rights to create a live-action film based on the beloved game series.

As of now, the bidders are said to include Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, and Legendary Entertainment, with a source saying that Legendary, which will release Warcraft this Summer, is the current frontrunner. However, Warner Bros. is also heavily involved in the competition as they released the animated Pokemon: The First Movie way back in 1999.

All three companies declined The Hollywood Reporter’s request for comment, but I’m sure we can all guess what Pikachu would have to say about this news.

Posted in 3DS, DS, Etcetera, News, Retro, Wii, Wii U | Tagged

Mercury Steam announces Raiders of the Broken Planet

Posted on April 16, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Mercury Steam took the wraps off their mystery project earlier this week and revealed Raiders of the Broken Planet, a “Multiplayer Online Asymmetric Adventure.” The Spanish developer is still keeping a tight lid on most details concerning the game, but they did reveal a bit of its backstory:

In the Lira Constellation, light years from Earth lies a Broken Planet. Long ago, its inhabitants discovered a powerful ability enhancing substance called Aleph. Today, this Broken Planet is home to the entire Universe’s intergalactic scum and criminal lowlife. All are here to wrest control of the Aleph and thereby control the Universe.

We don’t know exactly how Raiders of the Broken Planet will work, but the developer did say that it’ll feature a “distinctive blend of shooting, brawling and thinking man’s strategy.”

Mercury Steam, best known for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, also announced plans to publish Raiders of the Broken Planet themselves using an episodic release model on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The first episode is expected to launch sometime this year and Mercury Steam is now accepting applications for an upcoming beta test at the game’s official website.

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Activision will release Ghostbusters (consoles, PC) + Ghostbusters: Slime City (mobile) in July

Posted on April 16, 2016 by John Scalzo

As expected, Activision is answering the “Who Ya Gonna Call?” call and will release a pair of Ghostbusters games alongside the new film in July.

Ghostbusters is an overhead shooter for 1-4 players, who will take control of four rookie Ghostbusters as they battle spooks and spirits in New York City after the events of the film. According to the Activision Games Blog, the four characters will each have their own play style and players can “level up their character’s gear and abilities by battling ghosts, completing objectives, or discovering hidden collectibles.” Ghostbusters will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on July 12.

Meanwhile, Ghostbusters: Slime City will be available for mobile devices (iOS and Android) and it “lets players collect powerful ghosts.” The rather vague description continues to say that players will also be able to “collect components to craft [their] own proton packs, upgrade [their] own headquarters, and complete jobs around the city for new weapons and rewards.” Ghostbusters: Slime City will be released sometime in July.

The Ghostbusters reboot will open in theaters on July 15.

Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

The Super Mario Bros. “Any Percentage” record has fallen again

Posted on April 16, 2016 by John Scalzo

Last October, “Darbian” platformed his way into the record books by completing an “Any Percentage” run of Super Mario Bros. in four minutes and 57.627 seconds. This ridiculous feat managed to squeak in underneath the old record time for an “Any Percentage” run by just 0.063 seconds.

But earlier this week, “Darbian” managed to top himself.

Using both warp zones and barely stopping to take a breath, the speedrunner managed to complete Super Mario Bros. in four minutes and 57.26 seconds. In case you were curious, the 367 milliseconds separating the new record from his old one is about the same amount of time that it takes the average person to blink.

After his epic run, “Darbian” announced his retirement from Super Mario Bros. speedrunning, saying, “I have reached my potential in this category.” And in true Mario fashion, he added, “I’m done! My quest is over.”

Posted in News, Retro | Tagged

Salt and Sanctuary Review: Derivative, But Who’s Complaining?

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Sam Sheldon

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It is often said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. If this is true, the folks at From Software must be fanning themselves like a Victorian lady in search of a fainting couch, because Salt and Sanctuary is an unashamed imitation of Dark Souls. In fact, licensing aside, it essentially is a Souls game. Of course, Salt and Sanctuary is not the first game to copy the formula established by From Software, but where others have become mired in being too much like Dark Souls, Salt and Sanctuary strikes out in new, interesting directions and successfully transposes the Souls style onto a 2D action-platformer.

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Posted in PS4, Reviews, Top Story | Tagged